MACC Town boss Brian Horton is no different to any other manager in the newly-renamed Coca Cola League Two in aspiring to reach the play-offs by the end of the forthcoming campaign.

Vastly experienced boss Horton, who revived the Silkmen's fortunes immeasurably towards the end of last season following John Askey's demotion, is now in the business of trying to achieve something for the Moss Rose ahead of his first full season in charge.

Horton told the Express: "Generally I'm not a man who sets targets, I don't think you can in football. Targets are just there to be knocked all the time. But the aim is the play-offs, that's a target isn't it?

"At this time of the year every club manager is the same though, when they start the season they'll just say 'the play-offs'. We're no different, we've had a good pre-season and a good end to last season when we showed promotion form. If we can do that again then great, that's the target."

Horton has moved shrewdly in the summer transfer merry-go-round, and this means he exudes a quietly confident demeanour ahead of Saturday's opener at Leyton Orient.

"All of the new lads have a real opportunity now," added Horton, "Brisco has done really well. Matty Carragher is out for Saturday and Payney is out for three or four months with an unbelievable injury, so the chance is there for some of them.

"Neil Morgan scored a good goal in Scotland, Tommy Rooney had a little taste so it's up to them really. But as football managers we're never 100 per cent happy with our squad, we'd always like more.

"The club has given me a decent budget though, and that's allowed me to bring some experienced players in as well. There are still players out there without clubs, however - you never stop chasing in this game."

So what of Horton's overall hopes for the 2004/05 season? The former Manchester City, Huddersfield and Port Vale boss has quite clear objectives.

He said: "At the end of the day we've got to try and achieve something, we don't want to be down there again fighting with the dead men. We want to be up and around that play-off zone giving the supporters something to shout about.

"We've got a great bunch of players here, and as for the fans, well some people say we're a small club, but I don't see it like that. I was at Brighton as a player, we were a small club but we went to the top division. Wimbledon is a similar example.

"We're all there at the beginning of a season with the same points - nil - so we just have to try and get as many as you can whether you're big or small."